The versatile defender knew Latics faced a congested fixture list when he moved to the DW Stadium this summer as they bid to get back to the Barclays Premier League at the first time of asking and also compete in the Europa League.

Owen Coyle's men were forced to play two games in three days at the end of last month and so currently being in the midst of a 13-day gap between Sky Bet Championship fixtures has been warmly received by Perch.

"Having the Europa League games as well as the Championship games probably demands a break from fixtures," the 28-year-old told Wigan's official website.

"If we weren't in the Europa League then I'd argue that a break would be bad for us because we started to get some good form in our performances and we won a game in injury time which is always a big confidence boost."

That win, a 2-1 triumph over 10-man Blackburn, underlined the resilience Coyle's side have displayed this year after accruing eight of their 14 points in contests they had been behind in.

With a huge turnover of players since Coyle came in over the summer, Perch believes the current team is finally starting to gel.

"We've bonded really well as a group recently," he added.

"We've only been together on the whole for three months and I think it was quite clear to see in those first few games that we were a team full of new players.

"The last month or so has really shown that we can play football as a team and that we're a group of players willing to battle for each other."

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t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.